Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gained widespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, for example, telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal information manager (PIM) application functions. Portable electronic devices include, for example, several types of mobile stations such as simple cellular telephones, smart telephones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers with wireless 802.11 or Bluetooth™ capabilities.
Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smart telephones are generally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smaller devices are generally desirable for portability. Portable electronic devices frequently encounter water hazards as a result of the portability of such devices and the tendency of device users to carry their portable electronic devices with them most anywhere they travel. The waterproofing of portable electronic devices tends to hinder the performance of the devices, particularly the performance of device components with which the user physically interacts such as the keyboard or keypad.